


heart beating faster (ain't nothing better)

by starcrossings



Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Alternate Universe - Coffee Shops & Cafés, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Fake/Pretend Relationship, First Meetings, Flirting, Jet (Avatar) Is An Asshole, M/M, should i be surprised thats an actual tag
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-01
Updated: 2020-08-01
Packaged: 2021-03-06 02:13:46
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,230
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25645609
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/starcrossings/pseuds/starcrossings
Summary: Ok so, maybe his day didn’t get off to the greatest start. It started when he missed his first set of alarms, and really settled in when he couldn’t find his helmet and arrived a whole half hour late to his opening shift. Thank god for Mai—he ought to buy her flowers or something. What made it worse is when he burnt his hand getting a breakfast sandwich out of the toaster oven for a customer only to find out Iroh hadn’t restocked the band-aids in their first aid kit. Just his luck.So really, the boy who just walked through the door is just overkill at this point.
Relationships: Sokka/Zuko (Avatar)
Comments: 20
Kudos: 410





	heart beating faster (ain't nothing better)

Zuko is sure the universe has it out for him. 

Ok so, maybe his day didn’t get off to the greatest start. It started when he missed his first set of alarms, and really settled in when he couldn’t find his helmet and arrived a whole half hour late to his opening shift. Thank god for Mai—he ought to buy her flowers or something. What made it worse is when he burnt his hand getting a breakfast sandwich out of the toaster oven for a customer only to find out Iroh hadn’t restocked the band-aids in their first aid kit. Just his luck. 

So really, the boy who just walked through the door is just overkill at this point. 

Something goes cold in Zuko when he sees Jet. 

Maybe with his luck, he'll slip on some spilled tea on the way to the register and knock himself unconscious. All he wants to do is run to the break room like the coward he is and let Mai take Jet’s order. He could ask her is the thing and he knows she’d say yes, but he’s already put her through enough shit this morning.

So instead, Zuko puts on his big boy pants paired with his best customer service smile and steps up behind the till.

“Hello. What can I get for you?”

For a moment Jet doesn’t say anything and Zuko thinks maybe he’s won the lottery.

“Damn, never thought I’d get to see your pretty face again,” Jet all but purrs and Zuko feels his stomach roll. It makes sense though, unfortunately his face isn’t too easy to forget. When Jet calls him pretty though he feels anything but. 

“What can I get for you?”

“How much for a date and a... favour?” His eyes trail slowly down Zuko’s body, making his skin crawl. 

Zuko sees red. He’s seconds away from fucking launching himself over the counter at Jet or curling up under the counter so nobody has to see him like this. Both sound promising. 

Then something funny happens.

“Hey babe,” says a voice Zuko doesn’t recognize. 

The boy who approaches the counter is _gorgeous_ —dark skin, bright blue eyes, silver jewelry hanging from his ears, and hair drawn up in a ponytail revealing a clean undercut. Zuko is grateful he has the counter to lean on. Jet scoffs bringing Zuko back to the present. 

“And you would be?” Jet turns to face the newcomer, hand crossed over his chest, eyebrow raised. He looks pissed, Zuko thinks. 

The boy in question glances over at Zuko for a split second before beaming—and wow he’s got really nice teeth, what the fuck? 

“I’m Zuko’s boyfriend!” he says, winking for effect except it’s more of just a blink and Zuko struggles to hold back a laugh. It doesn’t escape Zuko that the boy used his name and he has never been more thankful that Iroh makes them wear name tags, otherwise he’s sure Jet would have had no problem calling the boy on his bluff.

Zuko smiles back and hopes to god the boy can see how grateful he is. “What’s up? I didn’t expect you to stop by today, I thought you were busy.”

“I thought I’d stop by on my way to class, but also do I really need an excuse to see your beautiful face?”

And _god_. Zuko knows this is all fake, but it doesn’t stop the blush from rushing to his face. This stranger is too much, but potentially in the best way possible. Zuko knew he was a goner. 

“The usual?” he asks, hoping to god the boy will continue to go along with him. Thankfully, he seems to be on the same wavelength as Zuko because he answers as he leans further on the counter. 

“An iced latte? Yeah, of course.”

“Can I get you anything?” The question is directed at Jet who stands there with a scowl on his face. Zuko sort of wants to scream in victory. He’s about to add this very handsome stranger to the list of people he needs to get flowers for. 

Jet huffs. “Fucking forget it,” he mutters, turning sharply and all but barreling through the door. Once he disappears into the busy crowd on the street Zurko let’s go of the breath he had been holding. 

Mai sends him a questionable glance because of the commotion, but Zuko just waves it off and mouths _later_. She seems to accept that as an answer and turns back to the table she had been in the middle of tidying. 

“Thanks,” Zuko says before turning to start making an iced latte for the boy. If he’s not able to buy him flowers at the moment this will have to do. 

“No problem, dude. You looked pretty uncomfortable and seconds away from throwing a punch, so I figured me stepping in instead of you getting fired was worth the risk of annoying you.”

“I—well, yeah. Thank you again.” And before he can lose his courage Zuko continues to ask, “So what’s your name mysterious boyfriend?”

“Sokka,” the boy says, grinning again and Zuko swears he's almost blinded. He wouldn’t mind seeing Sokka smile another million times or so. He doesn’t think he would ever grow tired of it and the thought shocks him a little. Fuck. 

Sokka clears his throat. “I actually do have to go to class now, but if you want I can give you my number in case Captain Jerk face shows up again.”

Zuko smiles to himself, pleased, as he turns back to the counter, Sokka’s drink in hand. Maybe today wasn’t too bad after all. 

“Yeah. Yeah, sure, I’d like that.” 

Grabbing a piece of scrap paper sitting beside the till, Zuko pushes it towards Sokka with his drink and quickly mutters that it’s on the house when Sokka eyes the drink, obviously aware of the fact he never actually ordered or paid for anything. 

“You didn’t have to, y’know.”

“I know.” It’s Zuko’s turn to smile and the butterflies in his stomach light up as he does so. He sort of wishes Sokka didn’t have school. All he wants to do is keep talking and learn everything he possibly can about the charming boy. “I wanted to though.”

He hopes Sokka wants the same.

Sokka says a quiet thanks before ducking his head to jot down his number on the slip of paper. He folds it before passing it back to Zuko who gladly accepts it and tucks it into his apron for safekeeping. 

“Bye, beautiful.” Sokka blows him a kiss as he pushes the door open, nearly spilling his coffee in the process. Zuko tries to tell himself his face is red out of embarrassment for the other boy and has nothing to do with the fact that his heart is beating a mile a minute. “Don’t forget I’m only a text away.”

Face blazing, Zuko ignores the look Mai gives him when the door swings shut. He knows the interrogation will begin the second there’s a lull in customers, but really, he’s just grateful Iroh isn’t around to overhear as well or he would never hear the end of it from his uncle. 

Pulling the paper from his pocket, Zuko looks at the ten numbers written in a messy scribbly, a lop-sided heart under them, and smiles to himself. 

**Author's Note:**

> this is super short but im really just trying to get a feeling for writing them!! i had a lot of fun & have a couple longer ideas that will hopefully see the light of day sometime..but anyways let me know what u thought, it would mean a lot <3 thank u for taking the time to read this ur the best!!!!


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